# 1967–68 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

The 1967–68 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1967–68 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as members of the Big Ten Conference. They played their home games at Jenison Fieldhouse in East Lansing, Michigan and were coached by John E. Benington in his third year as head coach of the Spartans. They finished the season 12–2, 6–8 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place.

## Previous season

The Spartans finished the 1966–67 season 16–7, 10–4 in Big Ten play to finish tied for the Big Ten championship. However, Indiana was selected for the NCAA tournament.

## Roster and statistics

1967–68 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team :
| No | Name | Pos | Year | Height | Pts | Reb |
| 11 | Lloyd Ward | G | SO | 5–9 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| 12 | John Bailey | G | SR | 6–0 | 10.1 | 2.7 |
| 13 | Thomas Steenken | G | SO | 6–1 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| 14 | Richie Jordan | G | JR | 5–7 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| 15 | Steven Rymal | G | SR | 6–1 | 7.0 | 2.5 |
| 21 | James O'Brien | G | SR | 6–3 | – | – |
| 23 | Vernon Johnson | G | JR | 5–11 | 1.3 | 0.7 |
| 24 | John Holmes | F | JR | 6–4 | 1.5 | 2.2 |
| 25 | Robert Gale | F | SO | 6–5 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| 31 | Harrison Stepter | G | JR | 6–2 | 9.6 | 3.1 |
| 32 | Steven Kirkpatrick | G | SO | 6–2 | 1.2 | – |
| 33 | Heywood Edwards | F | SR | 6–6 | 9.7 | 6.2 |
| 34 | Tom Lick | C | JR | 6–10 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| 35 | Lee Lafayette | F | JR | 6–6 | 16.8 | 10.5 |
| 41 | James Gibbons | C | SO | 6–6 | 6.3 | 3.6 |
| 42 | Gerald Geistler | C | SR | 6–8 | 0.5 | 1.3 |
| 44 | Ron Binge | F | SO | 6–5 | 2.0 | 0.5 |
| 43 | Bernie Copeland | F | JR | 6–6 | 7.0 | 6.9 |
Source

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Dec 1, 1967* | Cal State Fullerton | W 80–49 | 1–0 | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 12, 1967* | at Western Michigan | W 78–67 | 2–0 | University Arena Kalamazoo, MI |
| Dec 14, 1967* | at Butler | L 55–65 | 2–1 | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 16, 1967* | Hardin-Simmons | W 95–76 | 3–1 | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 20, 1967* | Nebraska | W 74–70 | 4–1 | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 23, 1967* | Wichita State | L 80–90 | 4–2 | Levitt Arena Wichita, KS |
| Dec 29, 1967* | vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt Sugar Bowl Tournament | L 63–73 | 4–3 | The Field House New Orleans, LA |
| Dec 30, 1967* | vs. Memphis State Sugar Bowl Tournament | L 57–73 | 4–4 | The Field House New Orleans, LA |
| Jan 6, 1968 | at Illinois | L 56–66 | 4–5 (0–1) | Assembly Hall Champaign, IL |
| Jan 13, 1968 | at Michigan Rivalry | W 86–81 | 5–5 (1–1) | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, MI |
| Jan 16, 1968 | at Wisconsin | L 68–70 | 5–6 (1–2) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| Jan 20, 1968 | Northwestern | W 75–62 | 6–6 (2–2) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Jan 23, 1968 | Iowa | L 71–76 | 6–7 (2–3) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Jan 27, 1968* | at Southern Illinois | W 68–56 | 7–7 | The SIU Arena Carbondale, IL |
| Jan 30, 1968* | Notre Dame | W 89–57 | 8–7 | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 3, 1968 | Michigan | W 82–77 | 9–7 (3–3) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 10, 1968 | at Ohio State | L 62–90 | 9–8 (3–4) | St. John Arena Columbus, OH |
| Feb 17, 1968 | at Northwestern | L 61–69 | 9–9 (3–5) | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL |
| Feb 20, 1968 | Indiana | W 75–70 | 10–9 (4–5) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 24, 1968 | Wisconsin | W 87–77 | 11–9 (5–5) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 27, 1968 | at Iowa | L 58–76 | 11–10 (5–6) | Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA |
| Mar 2, 1968 | Minnesota | L 68–75 | 11–11 (5–7) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| Mar 5, 1968 | at Purdue | L 75–93 | 11–12 (5–8) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN |
| Mar 9, 1968 | Illinois | W 62–59 | 12–12 (6–8) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. Source ||||||